O2 and Vodafone launch 4G mobile services

O2 and Vodafone have launched 4G mobile services on their networks.

Selected customers who jumped the gun and signed up in advance will now be able to enjoy faster download and upload speeds on 4G ready phones, tablets and mobile broadband dongles.

O2 4G launches today in London, Leeds and Bradford and Vodafone customers in London will be able to hop on the new super speedy network.

By the end of the year, O2 customers will have rolled out 4G in Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry, Sheffield, Manchester and Edinburgh.

Nothing but a 4G thing

Read Recombu Digital’s guides to 4G and the 4G Spectrum AuctionCEO of Telefónica UK (O2) Ronan Dunne insists that it’s an exciting time for everyone, as 4G means more than just being more dog and watching funny YouTube clips with greater ease: “Today marks the first step in our ambitious plan to bring 4G services to millions more people across the UK. The possibilities of 4G – be it for consumers or businesses – have not yet been realised.

“For many, 4G mobile services represent faster download speeds and acceptable video streaming on the train. We all need to start thinking bigger. For businesses, 4G represents the new infrastructure vital to powering the products and services they need to help turn our faltering recovery into a steady one.”

O2 4G tariffs start at just £26 a month with data allowances between 1GB and 8GB. All tariffs come with unlimited minutes and text messages, plus access to the 9,000+ O2 Wifi Hotspots around the country.

Vodafone is only launching 4G in London today, but by the end of the year will have rolled out 4G in the same number of cities as O2.

Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield will have Vodafone 4G a month from now and Vodafone will bring Bradford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle into its 4G fold before 2014.

Vodafone’s 4G plans went on sale last week and 20,000 customers signed up in advance. As well as being able to enjoy a faster next generation service, Vodafone customers can also enjoy some free Spotify and Sky Sports with their 4G. Vodafone 4G plans start at £21/month or £26/month with Spotify or Sky Sports included.

Vodafone CEO Guy Laurence said: “Vodafone Ultrafast 4G is here and we’re giving people a reason to get excited about it as we switch on a new site every 30 minutes. We’re bringing the capital closer to the action with Sky Sports and letting Londoners stream 20 million tracks with Spotify.

“We’re also giving the city’s busy businesses a boost by helping them take their office with them when they’re out and about. In fact, in the few days since we launched our 4G plans, more than 20,000 people have signed up. So, the question for Londoners now is: which do you want – music or sport?”

Depending on which contract you sign up for you can get from six months up to a year’s worth of Spotify Premium or Sky Sports 1 and 2 on your device.

Both O2 and Vodafone are committed to rolling out 4G coverage to 98 per cent of the UK’s population by 2015. EE will have reached this figure by the end of 2014 and Three, which announced its 4G plans earlier this morning, will also have reached 98 per cent of the population by 2015.